Edward Snowden PRISM: In Rare Show Of Bipartisanship, Lawmakers Agree Snowden Is a Criminal

It's a rare news day in Washington when polarizing figures on both sides of the aisle sound off in agreement on the same issue. But that's exactly what happened in the last several days.

While NSA leaker Edward Snowden has been jetting around the globe escaping extradition requests from the United States, our government has had a chance to voice their opinions on the now-wanted man.

For many Americans shocked or angry to find out that the government has been conducting surveillance on a wide swath of U.S. citizens, Snowden seemed a hero for exposing the truth. But what if the truth wasn't actually the truth, and Snowden was in effect committing treason against the United States?

At this year's Netroots Nation conference, Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was speaking on the subject and said that "He [Snowden] did violate the law." This drew some ire from the crowd of progressive bloggers who see Snowden as a martyr for civil rights more than a traitor — a view they share with others on the Hill, including Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.).

And earlier this week, Representative and former GOPpresidential candidate Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) had similar things to say about Snowden: "Absolutely he's a traitor ... and I cannot underscore enough how highly dangerous this was to America's national security." And the congresswoman would know — she's a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and one in a handful of lawmakers privy to the classified information our government gathers.

These two members of congress, usually polar opposites on the issues facing our nation, agree that Edward Snowden is guilty of crimes against our nation. And they are not alone in their feelings.

House Speaker John Boehner(R-Ohio) and former vice president Dick Cheney also agree that Snowden is a "traitor," and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has said that what Snowden did is "treason."

But what members of Congress think is irrelevant at the moment. Edward Snowden is currently in the midst of a Carmen Sandiego-esque jet-setting tour of nations as he seeks safe haven from the threat of extradition. It is this unlikely scenario that seems like it belongs in a movie starring Jason Bourne, that has brought some of Washington's most polarizing figures into agreement: Edward Snowden is a traitor.